Broadly, the Spirent and Luxoft OpenFlow compliance testing suite helps automate the QA and regression testing of OpenFlow products, according to a Spirent statement. With Spirent GUI and test case development tools on the front end and Luxoft technology on the back end, the Spirent iTest OpenFlow Compliance Test Solution Pack enables distributed and parallel OpenFlow 1.3 and 1.4 compliance testing. An OFTest Solution Pack automates the installation, configuration, and execution of the ONF's open source OFTest certification testing tool. iTest also enables the easy building or extension of automated test cases for fast replication, defect resolution, and regression testing. Additionally, Spirent and Luxoft partner to provide custom professional services like conformance coaching and QA.

This solution is a necessary one, according to Paul To, Spirent's director of SDN and Cloud. The ONF has standardized the OpenFlow protocol up to version 1.3, he said, but "OFTest only supports OpenFlow 1.0." This is problematic for many vendors, he explained, since they now "primarily use proprietary test methodology, such as manual unit and function tests, to verify OpenFlow 1.3.1 specification compliance."

And compliance testing is vital, particularly given the interoperability issues that can arise in SDN deployments. The Spirent and Luxoft testing solution is vendor-neutral, To said, and therefore able to quickly identify interoperability issues, helping "speed up development cycles of switch or controller software."

Standardization and interoperability look likely to be key for SDN's future success. To sees the Spirent and Luxoft solution as playing an important role.

"Our joint solution will help customers with OpenFlow 1.3 standards-based SDN adoption by assisting them in qualifying OpenFlow 1.3 compliance and interoperability in multi-vendor deployments. By leveraging the automation, test case authoring, and continuous integration capabilities of this solution, customers should be able to efficiently manage their quality assurance processes," To said.